


For her smile

by thesongofsnow



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: And Ron, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Era, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fremione - Freeform, Mostly focused on Fremione, Non-Canon Relationship, also mostly non-canonical events, and harry, mention of George Weasley, mention of the war
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-20
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-08-05 01:42:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16358255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesongofsnow/pseuds/thesongofsnow
Summary: When Hermione's fifth year starts, Fred realises that something feels a little off with the witch. One day, she manages to make him listen to some music, which is impossible inside Hogwarts. He tries to find a solution to this problem, in order to see her smile again.A lot of fluff I guess but also angst because I follow the idea that Hermione erases her parents’ memory between fourth and fifth year.





	For her smile

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone!  
> Sorry if the English is not so good, I did my best but it is not my first language so please tell me if you spot some mistakes!  
> Enjoy!

The second he saw Hermione on the threshold of the 12 Grimmauld Place, he knew that something had changed. He did not know what exactly, but he felt like something important had just happened to her and she was doing her best to hide it. She was pretty great at it, to be honest, but Fred had spent a little too much time staring at the witch to not notice something was off.  
However, she acted like she could not have been better and he never found the opportunity to really talk to her.  
It became even harder after Harry had arrived because they were always together with Ron, plotting god knows what. He was also very busy with George as the two of them were developing many new products with the objective of starting to sell some of it at Hogwarts in order to create a customer base for the shop they intended to open once school would be over.  
They spent their summer barely seeing each other, even though they were always in the same house. He tried to talk to her a little when they were all together for mealtimes but the problem was that the “all together” was in fact a very large crowd and so it was impossible to really catch her attention.  
From time to time they would be assigned the same chores and they would talk about anything, Fred doing his best to cheer her up and Hermione relaxing a little. She liked those moments because she felt like he understood her and what she needed therefore it was an enjoyable change compared to Harry’s mood-swings. She knew it was a bit unfair of her because Harry had been through a lot but those stolen moments of relief, when she did not have to feel her best friend’s anxiety and anger, were very welcome. 

Their expedition to Diagon Alley was, from the young man’s point of view, a blessed moment in the summer. This was when Hermione had talked to him about how she loved to listen to music on her Walkman. As he did not know what it was, they managed to sneak out to the muggle word for a few minutes so she could show him. Well, make him listen. She had told him how sad she was that she could not listen to her music at Hogwarts because muggle objects did not go well with magic.  
Since that moment he spent hours trying to find a way for her to listen to her music inside the castle. It was hard as he had had first to understand how the thing worked. Then, he had tried to enchant the Walkman he had bought for his experiments but all it did was break the said music player. So finally, he had come to the conclusion he would have to create a whole new device that would still be able to play the little tapes.  
After their unapproved short disappearance, it had been easier for them to talk and Fred enjoyed every second spent in her company. George was half mocking him half rooting for them which was a little weird but Fed was glad to know he had his brother’s support. 

It was a few days after the beginning of school that he really had the opportunity to talk to Hermione about what was bothering her. His certitude that something was wrong had grown only stronger from the second the train arrived at Hogwarts. The young woman always appeared to be very happy to be back at Hogwarts and excited for class to start again but this time, she had looked almost reluctant. If she was as hard-working as ever, he could see that her heart was not at it, or at least not as much as it used to.  
It was after his first detention of the year. It was with Snape, obviously. The teacher had made him scrub some jars. Fred had hoped that he would cut him and his brother some slack as they were all in the order, but apparently he had been completely wrong.  
When he finally set foot into the Gryffindor common room, he went straight to a chair where he let himself fall. He was exhausted! But then, he heard muffled sobs coming from the opposite corner of the room, near the fireplace. He got up and went into the direction of the sound. The person was hidden behind the massive armrest of the dark-leathered sofa. When he got close he finally saw that the person sobbing was actually Hermione. To see her like that broke his heart. He kneeled down next to her and softly touched her shoulder.  
“Hermione, are you okay?”  
It was a stupid question as she was obviously not okay, but it was the first thing that came through his mind.  
“I am sorry, I thought no one would be here,” she enunciated with some difficulty.  
“There is nothing to be sorry about. You are allowed to be sad, you know.” He slowly moved his hand to her hair and started to slowly stroke it, hopping it would soothe her a little.  
“I know something is wrong. And I guess neither Harry nor Ron have noticed anything because Ron is an idiot and Harry is dealing with a lot of things but… but I noticed. And I want you to know that if you want to talk about it, I am here.”  
He heard the girl sniff as she sat on the sofa. Fred took a seat beside her and she put her head on his shoulder, so he wrapped his arms around her. They stayed like this for a moment and once the witch was calmer she started to talk.  
“It’s my parents. After what happened in the cemetery, with Voldemort back, it is a question of time before the war really starts. And I read about what happened back then. How they tortured muggles just for fun, how they would destroy the lives of anyone who dared to fight him. And I thought… I mean I knew I had to do something. They were too exposed. So I...”  
She started to cry again, unable to finish her sentence. It took her a little time to calm down again, Fred trying to tell her reassuring words. Finally, she spoke again.  
“One night they were watching the TV and I cast a spell. I erased myself from their memories. And then I made them believe it was their dream to move to Australia. I… They don’t even know they ever had a daughter.”   
Hermione started to cry again as Fred kept holding her tight. Then the realisation of her words hit him. With the war coming, she knew she had to send her parents away to protect them, so she chose to make them forget her. He felt horrified. No wonder she had not been completely herself these past few weeks. She was almost an orphan, she had no home to go back to.  
“I am sorry,” he told her, as it was once again the only thing he could think of. “I am so sorry you had to do that. Did you tell it to anyone?”  
Hermione shook her head to say no.  
“It will be okay. Now I know, so you can talk to me if you feel the need. And you know, this goddamn war won’t last forever. When it’s over, you can reverse it back.”  
“There is no counter spell,” she whispers, exhausted.  
“None yet. But I am sure you will find a way. You are the most brilliant person I know, I am sure you will find something.”  
The shadow of a smile appeared on her face, and Fred thought that it was already something. They stayed in this position for a few more minutes, staring at the crackling fire, before she moved a little away from him.  
“I should get going. It is really late and we both have class early.”   
Fred snorted. There was no way he would be going to class in the morning. “Sorry for keeping you like this Fred, and… thank you. For staying. For being here for me. Thank you very much.”  
“It’s nothing,” he answered, glad he was able to help her -at least a little.

After that night, he felt like it was even more important to finish the magical Walkman. He skipped more classes than ever before, to the point that George started to give him notes. There was in him an urge, an obsession: he had to finish the Walkman. He spent an insane amount of time in the library, looking for books no one ever opened. He even tried to talk to the muggle studies teacher to see if she could give him any useful information.  
Obviously, he kept working on his and George’s products as their number of customers kept increasing. They also developed some new cures, evolving with Umbridge’s new unofficial tortures. This woman was so evil Fred found it unbearable to even look at her. Dumbledore’s Army brought him some joy, though, because he really love magic and he enjoyed learning new spells. He knew this information would surprise many but he had always liked learning, it was just school and the way things were taught that he never found interesting. But casting spells at wooden models and taking part in harmless but educative duals pleased him. The bonus was that he could sometimes see Hermione smile. She had almost stop smiling since the day she had erased her parent’s memories, and Fred found it unbearable. Sure, she had never been the most positive and happy person to begin with, but that was worse.   
Her smile was everything and when directed at you, it made you feel like you were the most important person in the world. But if to see her smile felt like a privilege, to witness it disappear was the saddest thing.   
When she really smiled, her eyes, though shaped as tears, would suddenly be illuminated. The look she would give would be like a blessing. But when the sadness would come back, you would see her soul being torn, the storm raging inside of her. Her efforts to seem happy would hurt, because her sadness could become yours if you let yourself drown in that angelic face of hers.  
And Fred could not take this sadness any more. And so he worked, tried, failed, looked again in other books, tried again. Until the day he finally did it.

It was the middle of the afternoon, mid-December. Christmas break would start very soon. He was absolutely amazed to realize that he had actually made it. A magic Walkman, something to allow Hermione to listen to her favourite tapes, even when surrounded with magic.  
He could not wait to show it to her, but he decided it would be better to wait until Christmas as she would spend it with them at Grimmauld place. He carefully packed the device in his suitcase to be certain eh would not forget it.  
The following night, they were woken up by the teachers who informed them that their father had been attacked. Fred had felt like his world was ending. The waiting was the worst thing that he had had to live yet. He was becoming crazing. When the news came that his father would live, he got hit by a wave of relief. He was still very concerned about his father’s health but knowing that he would be okay was already amazing.

When they visited St Mungo’s, however, he was shocked to see his father. He looked so weak and helpless that Fred felt his heart break. He had to leave so he went outside and sat on a bench. Soon, though, he felt someone beside him.  
“Hi”, said the voice.  
He lifted his gaze and met Hermione’s brown eyes.  
“Hi”, he answered.  
“I thought you might want some company but I can go if you prefer.”  
“No stay, please.”  
She sat beside him and took and hands in hers.  
“I’m sorry for what happen to you father”, she said. “His doctors say he is doing great, though.”  
Fred nodded, unable to do anything else.  
Hermione remained quiet after that. Her being here helped him to feel better.  
“You know what you said about you being here for me? Well, I want you to know that you can talk to me too, if you want.”  
He smiled at her lightly. “Thank you.”  
He did not intend to speak, but then he heard his voice before deciding to even move his lips.  
“It’s just… seeing him like that, it’s hard. He always seems joyful so I never realized something bad could actually happen to him, you know. I am just glad Harry warned Dumbledore in time. When I saw him in his bed… he looks so fragile. I don’t know. I think I just realized how bad things could have become.”  
“It’s your father, of course you’re worried. But he is stronger than he looks, you know. He will be fine.”  
“Yeah”, flatly said Fred.  
He did not want her to leave though, so he kissed Hermione on the cheek.  
“I am glad you’re here.”  
She gently smiled back at him and they stayed outside holding hands for a long time, until they were too cold and went back inside to find Molly panicking as they had been looking for the two of them.

Arthur finally went back home and Fred felt a little better, because it had to mean that his father was really healing.   
When he woke up at the sound of Christmas carols, he felt genuinely happy but also a bit nervous. He spent the whole day trying to find a way to isolate Hermione. But all the member of the Order came, which meant neither of them had a second to themselves as there was cleaning and cooking and then more cleaning to do. Finally the house was packed with people and the hours went by and he could not find a way to be alone with her, even for one second, so he finally gave up, thinking he would give it to her the following day. But days went by and he still could not be alone with her. 

Finally came the day they had to go back to Hogwarts and the Christmas euphoria left as the reality of school swooped on them. He had bitterly packed up the Walkman in his suitcase again.  
One night though, after a whole week of constant failure in trying to talk to her, he discretely handed her a note during breakfast. It was short, saying only “Friday, 6 p.m., astronomy tower?”. She looked genuinely surprised but she nodded with a faint smile and he had to restrain himself from beaming back at her.  
“You know, if you weren’t my brother, I would be making so much fun of you right now,” said Fred three hours later as they were making puking pastilles.  
“Since when does it stop you?” asked Fred.  
“Never, you are right. But it is so painful to see you trying that I won’t openly make fun of you in case it destroys your already very very small amount of self confidence around her,” joked George.  
“Haha, very funny,” replied Fred, however very aware of how un-smooth he was around her. 

Hermione asked him questions about Friday night as she was trying to know what it was about, but Fred refused to give her even a hint. He wanted it to be a complete surprise, hoping she would be happy.   
When Friday finally came, he went a little early in order to hide the device. Hermione came right on time, her cheeks a little red and her her slightly messy because of the amount of stairs she had just climbed.  
He thought she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He greeted her with a big smile.  
“Hi, glad you came.”  
“Are you finally going to tell me why I am here?” she asked, looking half-intrigued, half-amused.   
“Yes I am. I’m sorry for all the mystery and everything, I just wanted it to be a surprise. I intended to give it to you for Christmas but it was impossible to be on our own and I don’t know, I did not want everyone to know I guess.”  
“I am definitely curious now,” answered Hermione.  
“Then close your eyes,” he told her.  
She seemed to hesitate for a second but then she decided to trust him and she closed her eyes. She felt something in her left ear and started to be seriously confused when she heard the first notes of ‘Asleep’ by the Smiths.  
Sing me to sleep,  
Sing me to sleep,  
I’m tired and I  
I want to go to bed.  
Fred was staring at her, visibly tensed, when he saw a soft smile spreading across her face.  
Sing me to sleep  
Sing me to sleep  
And then leave me alone  
Don’t try to wake me in the morning  
‘Cause I will be gone.  
Hermione opened her eyes, shining with tears, and locked her gaze with Fred’s.  
Don’t feel bad for me  
I want you to know  
Deep in the cell of my heart  
I will feel so glad to go.  
“I know it is sad, but I thought it was also beautiful,” he justified himself, whispering.  
“It’s one of my favourites,” Hermione told him in the same soft voice.  
He handed her the yellow Walkman.  
“I have a few more tapes for you too. I did some research and some songs made me think of you so I thought why not? Some of my favourites are definitely ‘What a wonderful world’ and ‘Heroes’ so I put them in but there are others too.”  
“I love Heroes. But how did you do it? How can it work?”  
“Well, it’s not a muggle one. I made it. At first I wanted to enchant a real one but it never worked so I built a magical one. I hope you like it.”  
“It’s… It’s beautiful. Thank you so, so much, Fred,” said Hermione before hugging him.  
They moved apart but she took his hand and she walked towards the window, looking at the lake. Its surface was illuminated by the light of the moon and the stars shone bright in the clear night sky. A light breeze caressed their faces but Hermione looked peaceful and Fred was so glad to see her relaxed. He cared so much, seeing her always so tensed was killing him.  
She rested her head against his shoulder, like she had done months ago, in the common room, and the young man felt peaceful too.  
They both thought how right it felt to be close to each other so at some point, Hermione put her hand around Fred’s neck and kissed him. And he immediately kissed her back. It was both a passionate and soft kiss and when they broke apart, they were both blushing a little. 

They stayed a little longer in each other’s arms, looking outside and talking about this and that. Then they realised that it was starting to be late and that they did not have long before the curfew so they headed back to the common room, this time holding hands.  
No one really paid attention to them as they walked him, which was fine with both of them.   
“Thanks again”, said Hermione, chastely kissing Fred. “It’s an amazing gift, I can’t believe you went through so much trouble just to make it.”  
“I am glad you like it”, he grinned back, thinking how glad he was to see her smile.  
And like that they left for their respective rooms, both happier than they had been in a long time.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi again!  
> I hope you enjoyed the story and don't hesitate to comment, reviews are always useful.  
> Hope you'll have a nice day (or night)!


End file.
